News of the Day From Across the Nation

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Updated 10:53 pm, Friday, November 30, 2012

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1 Kahn lawsuit: Attorneys for Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Friday denied that the former International Monetary Fund chief has reached a settlement with a New York City hotel maid who accused him of trying to rape her. William Taylor III and Amit Mehta said in a statement issued Friday that the parties have merely "discussed a resolution." A person familiar with the civil case told the Associated Press on Thursday that a settlement had been reached. Prosecutors dropped related criminal charges last year.

2Financier sentenced: A financier and former chief executive of National Lampoon, convicted of swindling investors out of about $200 million, was sentenced Friday in Indianapolis to 50 years in prison by a judge who told him his "deceit, greed and arrogance" had cost many of his victims their life savings. Timothy Durham, 50, who resigned his post at National Lampoon in January, was found guilty of securities fraud, conspiracy and wire fraud.

3 Port strike: A strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach entered its fourth day on Friday in a walkout that has idled most of the nation's busiest cargo complex. Seven of eight terminals in Los Angeles and three of six in Long Beach were closed to cargo container traffic as dockworkers refused to cross picket lines set up by union clerical workers who claim shippers are outsourcing their jobs.

President Trump addresses nation after mass shooting at Florida SchoolWhite House

4 Terrorism charges: Two Florida brothers were charged Friday with plotting to provide support to terrorists and to use a weapon of mass destruction within the United States. Sheheryar Alam Qazi, 30, and Raees Alam Qazi, 20, are naturalized U.S. citizens originally from Pakistan. A grand jury indictment claims they provided money, lodging and other support for a conspiracy to obtain a weapon of mass destruction. The two were arrested Thursday in Fort Lauderdale. It wasn't clear whether the accused actually obtained explosives or what their potential targets were.

5 Wind power: The federal government plans to sell leases for wind farms off the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Virginia, marking the first time it has sold competitive leases for wind energy on the outer continental shelf. The announcement Friday by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was hailed by the conservation group Oceana, which called it a major step in developing domestic clean energy.

6 Patent review: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide whether companies can patent human genes, a ruling that could broadly affect medical research. The justices will hear an appeal from medical professionals who want to stop Salt Lake City-based Myriad Genetics Inc. from patenting genetic mutations that are linked to increased risk of breast cancer. Doctors say letting businesses patent genes would impede their research. Companies say without being able to patent and profit from their work, they would not be able to fund critical medical studies.